da2risingtidefandomcom-20200214-history
Prologue
Hawke's Tale: The Flight from Ferelden "So, you want to know about the Champion's escape from Ferelden? Then let me tell you the whole story... The Blight had been unleashed on Ferelden. Darkspawn poured out of the Wilds, clashing against the army at the ruins of Ostagar. The battle was a disaster. King Cailan died on the field with his men, betrayed by his most trusted general. Unopposed, the horde marched on the village of Lothering. The village burned, and many innocents were slaughtered. Carver Hawke served with the army and saw all that had happened. He fought valiantly but realized all was lost and that there was nothing he could do. His only option was to grab enough time to escape and seek his family -- Leandra , Garrett , and Bethany -- in Lothering, and deliver the news. Even then, as he and his family barely escaped, the Blight had already bled the land dry of life. Their best bet was to take a ship from the northern coastlands to Kirkwall, the Amell family home. And so the Hawke family left for that destination. It was a fight through wave after wave of darkspawn that did not relent even as they came upon Wesley and Aveline Vallen, a templar and his wife. The templar -- wounded as he was -- saw the Apostates and wished to do his duty, but his wife stopped him with a reminder that it wasn't the time. A truce was promised until after they escaped -- if they did. The adjoined forces continued upon their path to what they hoped was not certain death. More darkspawn assaulted the band of survivors, and after a while, the ground began to tremble. Before any could react, a massive horned darkspawn charged into sight, and directed its attack towards Leandra. Bethany tried to protect her mother by attacking the fearsome ogre, only to be accosted by a huge mass of a hand, capturing then smashing the would-be hero to the ground. Aveline, Garrett, and Carver fought for their lives against both the ogre and a horde of sundering darkspawn. By the time the last of spawn fell, it was too late for the twin. Bethany lay dead in Leandra's arms...or so she believed. Fraught with despair over Bethany's death, Leandra would not listen to reason, but Wesley's consoling words convinced her to continue on and to live for her remaining family. The death had a tremendous impact on the remaining Hawkes, but they knew that only course of action was to continue on, saving grief for when they were safe. Once again they were overwhelmed by darkspawn, a great horde which could only but end with their last breaths, yet a great roar thundered across the landscape, attracting the attention of all. Garrett looked up to see a massive reptilian beast -- a dragon. He thought it was the Archdemon, as this was a Blight, and if so they were all certainly doomed. It spread its wings, glided over them effortlessly while spewing a gout of flame from its maw that incinerated the darkspawn below. The dragon circled back, landing in front of them to destroy even more darkspawn. It then moved towards the small group, but as it moved the dragon shifted, its body shimmering into the form of a bizarre old woman the likes of which they'd never seen. She walked over to them, ash and smoke circling her continence. Flemeth, Witch of the Wilds, was the woman now holding their attention -- and she had an offer: promise to deliver an amulet to Keeper Marethari of the Dalish clan camped outside Kirkwall, and in exchange, she would get them safely to a port. The Hawkes and the Vallens agreed to do this, but there was yet another problem. Wesley was sick. He could not move, as he had been corrupted by the darkspawn blood. The only cure was to become a Grey Warden, but the only remaining Wardens in Ferelden were beyond their reach. Aveline was reluctant to leave him but Wesley convinced her that his life needed to be ended so that he would not become a ghoul -- a soulless husk that joined the darkspawn horde. Mercy was granted to Wesley, taking him from the world and the Taint. The witch kept her word and got them to the coastlands, where they took ship. They sailed north across the Waking Sea, lashed by terrible storms. Two weeks they spent in that dark hold, packed in with the fearful and the desperate. And then they saw it: Kirkwall, the City of Chains. Long ago, it was part of the Imperium, slaves coming from far and wide to work the quarries. Now it's a free city. But I use the term loosely. Sail through those black cliffs and you'll see what the slaves of old saw: the Gallows, welcoming you. That's where their ship landed with all the rest. Their arrival was not as pleasant as they would have hoped, as they discovered that people were not being allowed into Kirkwall. To be let in, they needed to find their uncle: Leandra's brother, Gamlen Amell. They were directed to Captain Ewald by a gate guard, and as they happened upon this captain they encountered a group of Ferelden military deserters vying to be let into Kirkwall. The group attacked once they thought the Hawkes and Aveline were going to be let into the city before them. Making sure to refrain from using magic, the Hawkes and Aveline aided the guards against the deserters and in return for their aid, the captain agreed to send for Gamlen. After three days their relative arrived, but as it turned out the Amell family wasn't what it used to be. The only way they could enter the city was to have a substantial amount of coin, and to obtain that, they needed to find someone to finance them. Gamlen knew an elven smuggler, Athenril, who was willing to pay their way into the city provided that Garrett and Carver work for her for a year. Leandra didn't like the idea, but it was the only option since their mother wasn't willing to let them part. Thus began the Champion's first year in Kirkwall. Word arrived from across the sea that the Hero of Ferelden has defeated the Blight. But Lothering was destroyed. Kirkwall was the Champion's home now. So he remained, paying off his debt. Made a name for himself in the underworld. It was a busy year in the city. That's when the Qunari landed. A great storm caught their ship and left hundreds of warriors stranded in the city, waiting to return home. That's also when the trouble began with the mages. The templars had become very powerful under Knight-Commander Meredith. But most importantly, that's when I first met the Champion." -- Varric Tethras Theron's Tale: The Fifth Blight In 9:30 Dragon, a darkspawn horde was sighted in the Korcari Wilds. The King of Ferelden -- Cailan -- and his armies clashed against the Darkspawn several times. Despite the Wardens' assurance that this was a Blight, it was dismissed as a large darkspawn raid, because there was no sign of an Archdemon. Theron Mahariel of the Sabrae Clan had been poisoned by a mirror, tainted by the same corruption that the Darkspawn spread. There was only one cure to his illness, and that was to become a Grey Warden. The Commander of the Grey, Duncan, was visiting the Sabrae Clan looking for recruits, and his decision to recruit Theron was not just out of mercy; the Dalish had skill. And so he left with the Warden-Commander for Ostagar. He was the only Warden recruit to survive the Joining. He and another named Alistair were sent to the Tower of Ishal to light the beacon so that Teyrn Loghain's men would know when to flank the Darkspawn army in the coming battle. The Fereldan army and the Grey Wardens were overwhelmed and slaughtered by the darkspawn. But the two Wardens survived, plucked literally from the Tower of Ishal by a giant bird that turned out to be Flemeth, the Witch of the Wilds. She sent them away with her daughter, and they went to Lothering. From there, they met up with Leliana, a lay sister of the Chantry, and the Sten, a Qunari Beresaad sent to assess the Blight. They also met up with Bodahn Feddick and Sandal, a dwarven merchant and his talented son. They continued on to Redcliffe, and saved the village. Mahariel and his group entered Redcliffe Castle, and cut through demons, to discover that the Arl's son Conner was a mage and was possessed of a desire demon. They left immediately for the Circle of Magi in hopes that the mages there could help, refusing Jowan's suggestion of a blood magic ritual. They found the Circle to be in disarray, demons and abominations stalking its halls. Greagoir allowed them to search for survivors and to bring the First Enchanter back. It was in the tower they encountered Wynne, other mages, and some children that were trapped in the tower. They joined forces with Wynne, and cleared out the Abominations, defeating the monster that was Uldred at the top, and bringing Irving to Greagoir, Theron assured the Knight-Commander that the Tower was now safe. The Circle was saved, and Wynne agreed to join them. They set out for Redcliffe to perform the ritual, but the Warden's group was ambushed by assassins. Their leader, Zevran Arainai, was knocked out in the battle, and Theron was persuaded to allow him to live and aid him in his quest. At Redcliffe, the Ritual was performed, and Connor was saved with no loss of life. But Arl Eamon was still sick, and would not wake. And so they set out for Denerim. It was Mahariel's cunning wit that allowed him to see through the imposter's guise, and they killed the fake Weylon and found the body of the true one as well as Genitivi's journal in the back room. They set out immediately for Haven, where they met Brother Genitivi after being attacked by nearly the whole village. They made their way to the ancient temple, in which they fought through the cultists and made it to the top, refusing Kolgrim's offer and killing him, later slaying the High Dragon after hearing from Genitivi that there would be flocks of pilgrims that would later want to visit the site of the Urn. They passed the tests of the Gauntlet, and gazed upon the Ashes themselves, taking a small pinch. On the way back to Redcliffe, they detoured into the Frostbacks, following a lead on the location of the Sten's sword. Mahariel and Leliana had also found attraction in each other; it was after this quest that they first made love. But they did not have time to go to Orzammar yet, and so they returned to Redcliffe, using the Ashes to cure the Arl of his ailment. He declared them Champions of Redcliffe and suggested they gather their allies and he would work on calling a Landsmeet. Jowan was executed, and Mahariel retrieved Sten's sword in Redcliffe and returned it to him, and then they set out for the Frostbacks yet again. They ran into a merchant, who gave them a golem control rod. They detoured to the small village of Honnsleath, where they killed the Darkspawn in the village, and saved the villagers who had been hiding behind a magical barrier. In exchange for saving his daughter Amalia, Matthias -- son of the mage Wilhelm -- gave him the correct code of activation of the golem. Thus Shale -- a golem with free will -- was recruited, just in time to join them as they ventured to the Frostbacks. In Orzammar, they found things to be in disarray. No-one could decide on a king, so yet again the Warden had to step in. Harrowmont seemed less shady than Bhelen, and so Theron supported him, winning Provings for him and clearing out the Carta, then seeking out the Paragon Branka in the Deep Roads, her husband Oghren. After a long, grueling journey through the darkspawn-infested thaigs, they finally found her at the location of the Anvil of the Void. Passing its tests, they also met the Paragon Caridin, and sided with him. She attacked them, and was killed. Caridin forged a crown for King Harrowmont on the Anvil, and Theron then destroyed the Anvil as promised. Caridin ended his life by jumping into the lava, and Theron returned to Orzammar, bringing the news, which Bhelen did not take well as he attacked the group and was killed. But Orzammar had a king, and they would stand with the Warden against the Darkspawn. Kardal and the Legion of the Dead had been pursuaded to join, as well. They headed to the Brecilian Forest, where a Dalish clan was presently camped. They were tasked by Zathrian with killing Witherfang; only then, he claimed, would his people be cured from the werewolf states they were in. But it was soon found that this wasn't the case, that Zathrian and the spirit he summoned were the cause of the curse. Zathrian was pursuaded to end the curse, putting himself and the Lady of the Forest to rest. The people were cured, and the Dalish elves sided with the Warden. And so they made their way to Denerim, but first headed south, to take care of some unfinished business. When they were at the Circle Tower, they had found Flemeth's grimoire. And Morrigan had discovered some disturbing news about how her mother stayed so old for so long. She inhabited the bodies of her daughters. Theron could not stand for such a horrid practice and Morrigan had aided them in their quest, so he decided that, dangerous a task as it was, they would slay Flemeth. They also owed a return to Ostagar, the place where it had all started. As well, they had come across one of King Cailan's honour guard during their travels; he had entrusted them with a key to a chest containing important letters and King Maric's blade. They retrieved these things as well as Cailan's armour, and burned his body, which had not rotted due to the Taint. Leaving Ostagar, they returned to another place they remembered well: the Korcari Wilds. There, Flemeth gave an offer to let her go, and she would give them the true Grimoire, no blood needing to be spilled. Theron refused, and Flemeth shifted to a High Dragon. They fought her, and slew her. Then they headed north to Denerim, where Leliana ended up confronting and slaying Marjolane, and Alistair met his sister, Goldanna. They also met Isabela briefly when clearing some louts out of the Pearl. In Denerim, a merchant named Levi Dryden approached them with a request. He wanted to clear his ancestor -- Sophia Dryden's -- name. He knew the way to what had once been the headquarters of the Wardens, Soldier's Peak, but he couldn't go alone. The Warden agreed to join him. In the Keep, the Veil was thin, and images of the battle between King Arland's men and the Wardens replayed. The group was attacked by demons and walking corpses, discovering that these were the result of demon summonings that Sophia had allowed. They encountered the possessed corpse of Sophia Dryden. Theron slayed the demon, and they continued on to find Avernus. He agreed to help them mend the Veil, then Theron allowed him to continue his research for the rest of his days, provided he did not use bad means to do so. They snuck into Arl Howe's estate to rescue Queen Anora, and freed the Grey Warden Riordan, and killed Howe in his dungeons. But in trying to escape, they were captured by Ser Cauthrien. They peacefully surrendered, and were taken to Fort Drakon. They were saved by the unlikely duo of Barkspawn -- a mabari that Theron had saved at Ostagar, that had followed him there -- and Sten. After returning to the mansion, they were told that there was unrest in the Elven Alienage, and to go investigate. They discovered that Tevinters -- posing as healers -- were capturing elves and smuggling them to Tevinter as slaves. Of course, Theron had no problem with putting an arrow into their leader's head without even considering his offers. Returning to the Arl's estate, he was now ready to go through with the Landsmeet. Thanks to actions the Warden took, the majority supported him. Prior to the Landsmeet, Theron had suggested that Anora and Alistair marry, and had persuaded both of them that this was the best option. Loghain, however, would not back down. As per the rules of the landsmeet, he and Theron's champion -- Zevran, for irony's sake -- faced one-another one-on-one in battle, with the former Crow coming out the victor. The Warden decided executing the Teyrn for his crimes was too harsh a punishment. He allowed him to fight in the Battle of Denerim, but did not make him a Grey Warden as Riordan had suggested. Alistair begrudgingly accepted Theron's suggestion, and remained with the party. Loghain was later imprisoned for his crimes. The attention was turned to the darkspawn. They returned to Redcliffe to their gathered armies. It was under attack by darkspawn, which Theron and his group quickly dispatched, and entered the castle. He learned that the bulk of the Darkspawn horde was marching towards Denerim. They had to march with their gathered troops to the capital to meet the horde. Theron and Alistair were also given a bit of disturbing news from Riordan: the one to slay the Archdemon would die. He would try to slay it, but if he failed, it would be up to one of them. Theron wasn't about to risk Ferelden's king -- and his good friend, so he decided that if the senior Warden failed, it would be his duty. After that conversation, he found Morrigan in his room. She told them there was a way for him to survive. Thinking about everything and everyone he would be leaving behind, and the things that he could have done were he to die slaying the Archdemon, he reluctanty agreed. And so he lay with the mage and a child was concieved, a child that would recieve the essence of the Old God Urthmiel were the Archdemon slain by Theron. The next day, they marched to Denerim, where Alistair gave a stirring speech, and the gathered armies attacked the darkspawn. Leaving the rest to guard the gates, Theron -- along with Sten, Wynne, and Alistair -- slew two of the the darkspawn generals and making their way to Fort Drakon, where they slew the remaining two. Unfortunately, in trying to slay the Archdemon, Riordan fell to his death; it was thus up to Theron to kill Urthemiel. And he did, on the roof of Fort Drakon. After the final battle, Theron was hailed the Hero of Ferelden, and Anora and Alistair were wed as Ferelden's new king and queen. Rather than remain as the Warden-Commander of Ferelden, Theron decided he had had enough action, and agreed to go with the Sten to Seheron as the Qunari delivered his report -- to the Arishok's temporary replacement, as the Arishok was away at the time. Eventually, Theron returned to Ferelden, and at the request of Jerrik Dace, accompanied him to the Amgarrak Thaig, to help him find his brother. They found him, as well as the research and the remains of the scholar Darion. At his brother's urgings, Jerrik set off to kill the Harvest -- with the help of Theron, his trusty Bronto snug, his brother Brogan, and a golem Theron had activated. Though it was slain, what they did not know, was that there was more than one Harvester in the thaig -- much more. Summary of Choices *Warden is Theron Mahariel, male Dalish Rogue. His specializations are Ranger and Bard, and his love interest was Leliana. *They had a full party of Alistair, Morrigan, Barkspawn (dog), Leliana, Sten, Wynne, Zevran, Shale, and Oghren. *Redcliffe was saved. *Sided with the Mages. *Saved Conner with the help of the Circle. *Refused Kolgrim's offer. *Killed the High Dragon and let Genitivi return to Denerim. *Cured Arl Eamon and became Champions of Redcliffe. *Sided with Harrowmont. *Sided with Caridin and destroyed the Anvil. *Zathrian and the Lady of the Forest died; the werewolf curse was lifted. *Flemeth was slain. *Cailan's body was burned. The ogre was slain, and the documents, armour, sword, and shield were retrieved. *Theron met Isabela at the Pearl. *Avernus is doing good experiments. The Dryden demon was slain. *Killed Caladrius and his slavers. *Won the Landsmeet. *Had Zevran duel Loghain in one-on-one combat. *Loghain lived, was allowed to fight in the last battle, then was imprisoned. *Alistair was married to Anora. *Theron did the Dark Ritual with Morrigan. *The army consisted of the Mages, Redcliffe Soldiers, Dwarves, Legion of the Dead, and the Dalish Elves. *Theron slew the Archdemon. *Refused to become Warden-Commander and accompanied Sten to Seheron. *Theron accompanied Jerrik Dace to the Amgarrak Thaig and slew the Harvester. *Theron is presently wandering. Leonie's Tale: The Awakening Leonie Caron was a mage from the Circle of Montsimmard who was recruited into the Grey Wardens many years ago. With the end of the Fifth Blight, she was sent Ferelden to take charge of rebuilding the order in Ferelden. She was a strict woman devoted to her duty as a Warden, doing whatever it took to achieve her means. It was for this reason that she secretly practiced blood magic. Upon her arrival with the recruit Mhairi at Vigil's Keep, they found the place overrun with darkspawn. In saving Vigil's Keep from the assault, Leonie conscripted Anders, and recruited Oghren, impressed with their performance as they fought at her side. She had to use the Rite of Conscription to keep the mage out of the hands of the templars. Mhairi died in the Joining Ritual, but Anders and Oghren survived. A prisoner, Nathaniel Howe, was recruited. Leonie poured a lot of money and resources into protecting Vigil's Keep, and protected the trade routes rather than the farms. Sigrun, Justice, and Velanna were recruited into the Wardens, and when the assault came, Leonie burned Amaranthine, deciding it was beyond saving. Vigil's Keep endured the attack, and the Wardens were able to assault the Mother's lair at Drake's Fall. Leonie was intrigued by the Architect's offer, and allowed him to live, agreeing to help him attack the Mother. And thus, with the aid of the Architect and an ancient Tevinter device, she was slain. After the battle, Leonie remained at Vigil's Keep as Warden-Commander. Summary of Choices *Leonie Caron is an Orlesian Warden. She is a Mage, with the specialization of Blood Mage. *She recruited Anders, Oghren, Nathaniel Howe, Sigrun, Justice, and Velanna. *Of these, Oghren, Nathaniel, Sigrun, and Velanna remain. *She protected the trade routes, and did what she could to upgrade the Keep. *Amaranthine was burned. Vigil's Keep endured. *She sided with the Architect against the Mother. *To this day, she remains in the position of Warden-Commander. Category:Plots Category:Main Plots